Hi Kim Im Luanne I havw a 3 mm I haven't had anything done I am thinking of you and the all the best sending big hugs your way!!!!
Kim, Please remember to breathe! You will be fine, think positive thoughts! You made a choice based on your knowledge and your family. My second coiling was a small one, if I had the choice, I probably would have had the first one coiled before it ruptured but hindsight is always 20/20 lol.
From my experience, once the coiling is done, the surgeon will monitor for compaction. They also ensure the neck of the aneurysm closes. When it is determined to be occluded, you donât have to be concerned about it. Call your doctor, talk to the nurse and he or she will be able to give you much more information specific to you.
Take walks with your kids, have family dinners the next few days. Remind them you will be limited in the amount of weight you can pick up for awhile and chores you can do. Tell them this is a great time for them to help Mommy run the house and it would be a great thing if they pick up after themselves, help dust, vacuum, etc. if you help prepare your children with concrete things they can do, it will allieve their fears as well. Maybe put up a chore chart so they know what they need to do for the next six weeks or so. It may slow down their fussing with each other. Children feel much more than most adults. They may not know whatâs going on but they can feel your angst. Perhaps you can sit down with another adult and explain whatâs going to happen and why you made this choice. Good luck!
Good Luck God is watching out for you you will be fine God Bless
Hi Kim, itâs been just over a year since my coiling. I understand why you chose a coiling over waiting. I struggled with anxiety for years and finally found a surgeon that would do it. They released me the next day! I was back at work in less than three months. Just 6 month peeks now. I hope to read your story soon.
Relax, if you can. The matter is in others' hands. You are being pro-active, and that is good. Prayer for you.
Hi honey I had an sah rupture almost 6 yrs ago and they coiled it and Iâve had absolutely no side effects or problems at all. After my 6 month visit I was told I could resume life as normal. I donât get headaches or any problems other then the ones caused by the actual rupture which did affect brain cells that came in contact with the bleed from when it ruptured. I have memory and cognitive issues but thatâs about it. I think you will be surprised at how well you will do and be. Keep the faith and positive thoughts as itâs easy for any of us to fall into that depression hole for a time. My prayers and thoughts are with you that you heal quickly and realize how lucky you are to have the procedure before it actually ruptures as thatâs when youâre chances of living are about 15%, I was one of the lucky ones and thank God I was saved by great emergency care. I had an accidental fall when walking my dog, tangled up in her leash fell and hit my head on the cement, had no idea prior to that, that I even had an aneurysm. Please try to think positive thoughts and not let those âwhat ifâsâ come to mind. Please let us know how it goes. I feel positive for your outcome, if it were going to hurt you, I believe it wouldâve happened already. Take care and get support if you can and have it around you! Donât read too many horror stories on the several sites as I did it will make you more anxious. Love reading positive and thankful for the shares, but there are other sites that made me very anxious. This one is the best and most positive, but thatâs just my opinion and experience. Again take care and praying for a speedy, easy recovery for you!
I also had a sah rupture 3 years ago and the headaches lasted about 3 months and was able to go back to work in 5 months I donât have any side effects! You will be fine ! I will keep you in my prays
Kim, I had a sah almost 4 yrs ago. Helicopter ride (that I donât remember) emergency coiling surgery done. The dr also discovered another aneurysm that hadnât ruptured. Coiled it, too. Had to go back a couple of times to have more coils added to each one of them. At my checkup May 2015 I was told there was no change in either of them. No more compacting. Everything was staying in place. I go back this coming May. If there still hasnât been any changes Iâll get to start having 2yr checkups. Sending good healing thoughts your way.-myra
Hi Kim( and Ruby)
I had a 4.5mm basilar tip aneurysm coiled and stented in July of last year. The procedure went perfectly and except for a hematoma at the groin site( biggest bruise you ever saw!) there were no complications. I did have a few more headaches for a few months after and my brain could get a little overwhelmed during the healing process but I was back to work( and my work is physically demanding as a gymnastics coach ) in 3 weeks. I also wrestled with the decision of whether to have it repaired but because of where it was, my neurosurgeon thought it was best to repair. Good thing we made that decision as he said when he got in there was a weak spot in the aneurysm wall and it likely would have ruptured within the year. Just had my six month scan and all is good! Itâs scary going in but itâs so much better than walking around with the fear of it rupturing.
My partner had a ruptured aneurysm and a coil was the perfect answer. Here is a really cool thing that came out of this. We both look at life differently. When people say don't 'sweat the small stuff,' I never could. Now we can. You have three little ones. Your small stuff will be out of the big picture after surgery. Your surgery is planned, thats another good thing. No burst. The Docs will coil and you will be ready for another 100,000 miles!! . Weird analogy- You are driving along with your life and then you get a flat tire (aneurysm) It has to be fixed because you cannot be on your merry way of life with with 3 tires (the kids) So you get a new tire, filled with air (coil) and you are back in business. The remaining 3 tires are so happy you are there. At that minute the tire is filled the four of you are ready to hit the road for more adventures on Life Ave. And as always you check the tire pressure, because it is the right thing to do (having the surgery) I hope my little ditty makes you smile. As Kermit says, "I've got everything that I need, right in front of me" Y You have the 3 that you have to get married off and be a Grandmother in 25-30 years. This is just a frost heave that needs to be filled. ; )
Hello Kim,
I have felt your same anxiety and fear almost 5 years ago as I approached my own coiling procedure. Obviously since I am writing this, it went well. I ended up actually having two large aneurysm's and a huge neck that required a stent to hold the coils in place - but it all worked!! I had an amazing surgeon who I credit with the outcome. It is amazing to me how far the medical world has come in successfully treating aneurysms and giving so many people a new life. Take a nice walk with your family the day before and breathe in the fresh air. Then get to bed early and just tell yourself that you are so lucky they found your aneurysm early so you could have this coiling procedure. I will be praying for you and know you will make it! Hang in there!!
Annette in Sacramento, California
Hi, Kim
I had an 11mm unruptured aneurysm coil & stent in July 2013. I understand your anxiety and would suggest that you do something really special for you and your kids and take the pressure off. Build a fort, have a picnic in the living room, anything that would be fun and create a great memory to get you through the wait time. That is difficult, but you have all the great technology and medical care that should give you best results. The whole purpose of coil&stent is to prevent any sort of rupture.
At my 8 month angiogram post op - my aneurysm was totally gone and I pray the same for you.
Worry/fear is your greatest enemy so do something fun!
Praying for you
Sheryl
My 4.8mm annie was coiled in 2011 after it ruptured. You are definitely doing the right thing! And, you've been given lot's of great advice and support in this discussion. As for me - I now tutor foreign language college students, in preparation for an exam in English as a second language. You will be fine!!! Even better, because you'll stop worrying!!!
Hi Kim: Had that done in July this year. I had a 3 mm aneurysm at the base of my brain on my right side, affecting a nerve in my right eye. Got the classic worst headache every thing because it was almost ready to rupture. They were unable to coil up close to it because the artery twisted and turned so they had to do 6 coils in my right carotid artery. That was after an attempted to just do the center of it to leave some blood flow to the brain, but did not work so back in. I had a longer time recovering once I was home but I am sure that was due to the fact that I was 66 years old, had been ill for 4 days before I went to the hospital, headache was one sided so I did not think it was what it was, and having to do the procedure twice tired me out. But, I am so much better now. Last MRI two months ago showed the fully clotted aneurysm was 65% smaller than it was in July. Do not have to go back now till June. I personally will have an MRI every year because I now only have one carotid artery working. I will tell you that I still had a headache for a few weeks because there was a nerve that went to my right eye in the middle of the aneurysm and once it shrunk up enough the headaches stopped. I am going to finish with: EVERY ONE IS DIFFERENT, please remember that and do not assume you will have the same experiences as others. Just be thankful it did not burst and they are going to fix it.
Hi Kim,
I had the coiling procedure two years ago as an emergency, my subarachnoid aneurism (in my brain) had burst. They wanted to fill it with the coiling technique so it would no longer fill with blood. It sounds like yours is in tact and they have chosen to do this as a preventive measure. I came through it very well.
Hi Ann, Iâm curious, is your carotid artery completely blocked? I have a 7mm wide neck aneurysm on my left carotid artery near the ophthalmic artey. I had a stent assisted coiling in May 2013. It took longer than expected because of clotting issues but overall it went well. A year later at my follow up angiogram they found the stent was blocked 80%. They scheduled an angioplasty but it was unsuccessful. They wanted me to wait 6 weeks for things to settle down in my brain and try the angioplasty again. After a month of waiting I had a watershed stroke and was in the hospital for a week. They tried the angioplasty again and got the blockage down to 30% but on the way out of my brain the guide wire snagged my stent and tore it off the artery wall so now itâs at least 80% blocked again. I am on Plavix, atorvistatin, and aspirin for life. My calateral arteries are taking over, thank God! I have to stay well hydrated at all times also! I havenât talked to anyone else with a blocked carotid artery. I would love to hear from you! I tried going to your wall but want able to!
Take care, Beth Lovell
Hi Kim,
I had an 11mm aneurysm that ruptured and cause a hemorrhagic stroke. My coiling procedure was exactly 3 years ago today. The surgery went well and the coils are doing well and have looked great at every check up. Im doing pretty well and feel very blessed. I do take things a little slower these days, but itâs from the effects of the stroke (it was 5 days before I was diagnosed correctly and had my procedure). My suggestion is to take it slow after the procedure and donât over do things, recovery will go much smoother. If thereâs someone that can help you out as needed, that would be a big help. While it was quite an unexpected hurdle when it hit me, there have been many blessings that have come because of it, and my new perspective will benefit me and my family for the rest of my life. Iâll be praying that all goes well for you.
Kim, I had a 4 mm aneurysm coiled in October, 2007. I was in the hospital overnight, then home. I didn't have any complications from the coiling and at my last checkup all was as it should be!
Kim,
It's normal to be anxious when you have to have any surgery involving your brain. As encouragement, allow me to pass along to you what someone just this morning said to me (I am having the procedure March 2). An hour ago, in our adult Bible fellowship, a woman in the group who had coiling done about a month ago came up to me and said, "I want to pass along something that made me and my family feel so much more at ease. The day of surgery, the nurse came over, held my hand, looked into my eyes, and said in a very reassuring, heart-felt voice, 'I know this is anxiety-filled for you and your family. But know that for us, this is so very routine. We do these ALL the time....and are EXTREMELY successful. For us, it is a piece of cake, very, very routine. We got you."
Your medical team has "got you"!
(and I will be praying for you leading up to and during your surgery)
Hugs and blessings,
- Vicky
Spoke to my surgeon on Friday and he said 3/4 weeks for my op do I can sympathise my children are grown up but still scary someone told me to ask if support group within hospital